1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems, apparatuses and methods for the purpose of instructing a student in the playing of an instrument. More particularly, the present invention discloses an apparatus and method for more efficiently and effectively instructing a student in the playing of the notes associated with a finger-operated instrument and so that a more effective grasp of the ability to play the musical instrument is obtained in less time than which is currently possible through more conventional teaching instruction and methodology which have heretofore been employed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention is well documented with instrument playing instructional guides utilizing finger positioning guides and the like. The general purpose for these, as indicated above, is to assist in instructing the student of the instrument in the proper placement of the fingers in playing the notes associated with the instrument. Such prior art systems and methods of instruction have also been applied in particular to such instruction for stringed instruments such as the guitar.
An example of a prior art finger positioning guides and method for instructing the playing of a stringed instrument is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,920,023, issued to Ravagni et al. which teaches note location and proper finger placement on the fingerboard of the instrument. The device of Ravagni teaches a sheet of an adhesive plastic on which are printed a series of markers indicating note locations, scales or chords. When applied to fretted instruments, the device has fret openings cut therein which are adapted to engage the frets when applied to the instrument. The device is applied to the instrument by inserting it between the strings and the fingerboard, wrapping it around the neck of the instrument and adhering it onto itself along the back of the neck of the instrument.
Another example of a musical teaching device for expediting musical instruction is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,861, issued to Patty et al., and which includes a grid of intersecting lines which represent strings and frets of a fingerboard of a stringed instrument. An indicator situated in the vicinity of each intersection represents a musical note and a plurality of movable markers are each capable of being positioned anywhere on the grid and identified by both a particular color and one or more symbols to visually depict a particular aspect of the instrument.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,756, issued to Feldman, teaches a guitar instruction system in which note indicia are again emplaced underlying the strings of the guitar along the fingerboard and adjacent to the frets. A musical sheet contains the musical exercise to be practiced and a holder is provided for supporting the music sheet on the fingerboard of the guitar. A mirror is adapted to be positioned in front of the student through which the fingerboard and music sheet can be viewed. The note indicia on the fingerboard of the guitar as well as the musical exercise on the music sheet are written in reverse (left to right) and the area of the fingerboard underlying the respective strings of the guitar and the notes of the musical exercise on the music sheet are color coded so that the musical exercise indicates to the student which string is to be used in producing the required note.